The sales tax rate for ZIP code 98058 is 10.5% in most of the area as of 2026, made up of Washington’s 6.5% state tax and 4.0% in local taxes. The ZIP covers parts of the City of Renton along with pockets of unincorporated King County, and the rate can shift depending on the exact address. A small section of Renton sits outside the Regional Transit Authority boundary and pays 9.1% instead, because no transit tax applies there.1Washington Department of Revenue. Local Sales Tax Change – Renton Q1 2026 If you need certainty for a specific property or delivery address, run it through the Department of Revenue’s rate lookup tool rather than relying on the ZIP alone.2Washington Department of Revenue. Sales and Use Tax Rates
The 10.5% figure went up by two-tenths of a percent on January 1, 2026, when the City of Renton and King County each added a one-tenth percent surcharge for local law enforcement programs.1Washington Department of Revenue. Local Sales Tax Change – Renton Q1 2026
How the 10.5% Breaks Down
Every sale in 98058 starts with Washington’s statewide 6.5% rate, set by statute and collected by the Department of Revenue.3Washington State Legislature. RCW 82.08.020 – Tax Imposed, Retail Sales, Retail Car Rental Counties and cities layer their own taxes on top under authority granted by state law.4Washington State Legislature. RCW 82.14.030 – Sales and Use Tax Authorized
The largest single local piece is the Regional Transit Authority tax of 1.4%, which funds Sound Transit’s light rail, commuter rail, and bus rapid transit.5Sound Transit. Regional Tax Information The rest covers King County general taxes, City of Renton levies, criminal justice funding, and the 2026 law enforcement surcharges.
What’s Taxable in 98058
Nearly everything you buy from a store or have delivered carries the full rate: electronics, clothing, furniture, appliances, and most other physical goods. Washington also taxes a broader range of services than most states, including landscaping, janitorial work, and construction labor.6Washington Department of Revenue. Services Subject to Sales Tax
For deliveries, Washington uses destination-based sourcing: the tax rate is set by where the buyer receives the goods, not where the seller sits.7Washington State Legislature. WAC 458-20-145 – Local Sales and Use Tax Order a couch from a warehouse anywhere in the state and have it shipped to a 98058 address, and you pay the local Renton-area rate. Larger online retailers already handle this at checkout, and marketplaces like Amazon and eBay collect automatically for their third-party sellers.
What’s Exempt
Groceries are the biggest exemption. Produce, dairy, meat, bread, and other basic food items in their unheated, unserved state carry no sales tax. The exemption falls away the moment food counts as “prepared,” which happens when the seller heats it, combines multiple ingredients for sale as a single item, or hands it over with utensils.8Washington Department of Revenue. Retail Sales Tax – Sales of Prepared Food Raw chicken from the meat case is tax-free; a rotisserie chicken from the deli is not.
Prescription medications dispensed by a licensed practitioner for human use are exempt.9Washington State Legislature. RCW 82.08.02806 – Exemptions, Sales of Drugs for Human Use Pursuant to Prescription So are prosthetic devices worn on or in the body and medically prescribed oxygen systems.10Washington State Legislature. RCW 82.08.0283 – Exemptions, Prosthetic Devices, Prescribed Oxygen Durable medical equipment like hospital beds and wheelchairs does not qualify, which surprises a lot of people.
Buying a Car
Vehicle purchases carry an additional 0.5% motor vehicle sales tax on top of the regular combined rate, effective January 1, 2026.11Washington Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle Sales/Use Tax Inside the Renton RTA area that pushes the total to roughly 11.0%. Addresses in the RTA district also owe a separate Sound Transit motor vehicle excise tax, but that one appears on your annual vehicle registration rather than the sale itself.
When You Owe Use Tax Instead
If you buy something and no Washington sales tax gets collected, you owe use tax at the same combined rate.12Washington Department of Revenue. Use Tax This commonly comes up when buying from a private party on a marketplace app, picking up goods on a trip to a state without sales tax, or ordering from a small out-of-state seller that doesn’t collect for Washington.
The amount owed is the purchase price plus shipping, multiplied by your local rate. Individuals can report and pay through the Department of Revenue’s My DOR portal online or mail in a Consumer Use Tax Return. Most people don’t realize the obligation exists, which makes it one of the more commonly missed tax duties in the state.